Quiet Qualms

Maybe I am not meant to be,
A person with no skills, I see,
Am I worth anything today,
Have I contributed in any way?

Maybe I shouldn't have come,
Maybe I should have waited some,
This life, I built for me, here,
Unworthy of any credit, I fear.

Maybe my career should have been,
Some place where I'd not be seen,
In this moment of self doubt,
I just feel like an inept lout.

Prompt: Poetic asides

Self – spirit and scenery

Each letter to pen is hard,
My brain seems to be charred,
A cleanse I need to effect,
Some life into these, inject.

My heart melts at my state,
Constant disarray is my fate,
Languid lethargy causes,
Life’s innumerable pauses.

Worry kneads my being,
Into submissive agreeing,
Flowing with what goes,
And, overlooking my woes.

One day, I will explode,
Today’s events forebode,
The day is not too far,
That, my life, could mar.

Conquered by character within

Hair brushed imperfectly,
Pink cheeks faked with rouge,
Flaws hidden by makeup
Concealers in abundance,
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
She reeks of cheap cologne,
An atypical fragrance flows,
Garish accessories abound
In unmentionable hues.

Suits of faded polyester,
Frayed along some seams,
Crumpled and creased,
Competing with her skin.

Dress maketh a man,
Heart overrules all,
A mediocre exterior,
Conquered by character within.

Prompt: Poetic Asides

Meager emancipation

A shackled existence I lead,
Tied to my work, I seem to be,
Straight jacketed with deadlines,
Ceasing to persist for none else.

Is there a way out ever?
Am I sealed in an airtight box?
Will I be able to come up for air?
Can I choose to wish it all away?

Pretext I am probably seeking,
to hide behind, so my pathetic
excuse for the life I seem to lead,
doesn't seem so dismal.

Balance sheet of life

Age creeps in and you wonder,
What did I do, when younger?
A decade in the real world
What is it that unfurled?

Did I get anything I crave?
A bank balance, did I save?
Or life, satisfaction to look back
Memories my heart can tack.

A million he saved at fifty,
Cool, isn’t that quite nifty?
Me, on the other hand,
Quagmired in quicksand.

Living life to ones’ own,
Seeds of dreams now sown,
What do people after all need?
If not for some of our greed?

Nice n Spice

Spice in life, I have plenty,
Could never of any other way think,
Assortment, there are types, many,http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Tastes changing all in a blink.

Food follows life in ways,
Bland leads to lack of flavor,
Mild was never my craze,
Drama of zing, I’d rather savor.

Prompt: Theme Thursday

Much ado about outdo

The continual will to excel
That’s inherent in her,
The desire to surpass,
Is becoming a curse.

Shut off she is by
The mediocre many,
Illusions of grandeur,
For them she denies.

Evident in the animosity,
That she faces day-to-day,
Slowly, but tragically,
This will be the death of her.

If at first, you don't succeed

Several cliches exists now,
Success and its interpretations,
Trial not once, but a few,
Abilities, a part they play,
Outcome, much less they say.

Effort is the measure I hear,
Lack of, can be failure,
To each, his own definition,
One's poison, another's food,
Ultimately much chased after.

If at first, you don't succeed,
Another try will make it so,
If again, not up to par,
Another one will take you far,
Thus goes the age old adage.

Incensement

The sweet smell of incense,
A purpose does it serve?
Awaken the senses to prayer.
Force out the serenity.

Will it dame my mind
Enough to entrance it
Sufficient to coerce me
To break out into piety.

The fragrant fumes billowing,
Incenses me into deference,
Spirituality zealously guarded,
I lose myself in a stupor.

On no account...

I dream of the day
My fingers will fly,
Creating symphonies,
Never did I dream,
That there’d be a start.

As I pack my bag,
With sheets of music,
Lug around the keyboard,
Never, never! I say
Will I stop learning.

A class recital bit,
I play and take a bow,
Never in my wildest,
Did I ever see it so.
Today, in these, I revel.

Prompt: Poetic Asides

On the dot @ 5.30pm

A paying guest accommodation,
The owner, a lady dignified,
A promise to check out more,
And, a cautious goodbye was bid.

A call the day after went,
Lady with a pissed off voice,
A call was promised at 5.30pm,
What with the delay of four hours.

Dusk set out in the midst,
Frantic searches for a place,
An innocent student life,
Was to begin in a week.

With trust was welcomed,
By another single mom,
A bipolar, she said she was,
Nicest was who she really was.


Prompt: Poetic asides

Spike over silk

The proverbial bed of roses,
Shunned by the daring breed,
The thrill of thorns fulfills
The ceaseless need for speed.

Normal is oft eschewed,
Audacity, the sought after creed,
Routine is balked at as dull,
Invigorating – life is to be decreed.

Whimsy vision

The shredder whirrs away,
The monotonous drone
Consumes the large room,
With everyone but her
Having gone for the day,
Paper ribbons fly by me,
What if this was done,
Rushing in a bid to hide?
What if these innocuous,
Ribbons would reveal bygones,
That could burn our ears?
What if the morning after
Would bring about a buzz?
What if these could have
Made a wonderful life for some?
What if there was evil lurking
Within these strewn strips?
But now at winding down dusk
The shredder whirrs away.

Prompt: Poetic Asides

Chronicle

Fabricating a life of my own,
Adamantly holding on to some
I am stunned at how much I’ve grown,
In stride, I take it all as they come.

A peculiar obsession to past,
I seem to harbor within,
Now this new life, that I recast
Keeps changing, to my chagrin.

Prompt: 3WW

I await the day

Taboo topics I don't touch
Inhibitions, I can't let go
Safe poems are mine, he says
No word of protest I say
The allegations I can't deny.

Poetry, like everything else
For me, I want to them happy,
Desperately so that it's unreal.
Expectations built up much above

Let downs I face all through
One day, at least once I will too
show the brilliance like others
One day, it shall happen.

Prompt - Poetic Asides

Loner

A loner he was,
But he felt stifled,
By the voices in his head.

A loner he was seen as,
By the many around,
He couldn't wait to get away.

A loner he was branded
A tag he wanted to live by,
His multiple personalities crowded.

Postcard to nowhere

Tropical paradise, Serene morns
A vacation without a care
Just an utopian dream it stays,
Wish reality takes the day off.
Things are well here, there too?

Atop the hill, I wanna shout,
Wish I were at home now.

Together in triumph

A day imprinted in history
Beyond imagination,
A game after all,
But captivates a country.
To each their own,
Way of celebration.
Prayers to parties
Gratitude to elation.
Families and friends,
Brought together as one,
Unifying the divided,
Are these messengers of joy,
The players of passion,
Ultimately transient maybe,
But momentarily, just now
Nothing else matters
Just pure unadulterated bliss!
Tomorrow may transform
But today is etched in annals.
Awash with the thrill
And wallowing in delight.

India World Cup cricket champions

Destination, expedition

No rides in buses or planes count,
The travel isn’t even worth a recount,
The journey from the not forgotten past,
To life’s stage, today that I am cast.

Being here, thoughts all over splattered,
How I got here, has never mattered.
Pieces of life left behind enroute,
Amassed as well some of the soot.

Blended like the flour for the batter,
Beaten in with eggs and butter,
Churned together in the big bowl.
The cake in the end is worth the extol.

Life’s process is not dissimilar,
In the end, its weirdly similar,
Now I accept the fruit of my toils,
Later on, can I enjoy the spoils?

Feint fantasy

Persuading others to part
With their riches in loads,
Was what he did for long.

A loud life he lived
With bold gaudy displays
Mostly of fraud he kept up.

Not true to himself,
He continued to live his lie
Trappings of his own creation.

Come out of it all,
Did he ever desire?
Neither him nor any will know.

Tirade Charade

Enraged at fellow men,
Ignorance isn’t flattering
Communication severely lacking
Self pompously bubbled in.

Years of my diligent efforts,
Trivialized beyond words,
Standing up on my desk,
I feel I should harangue.

Weathering the weather...

The sweet breeze of spring,
Tickles the mind, the spirit
Eager for the good times to ring
Moving away from winter's grit.

Life that had been mellow,
Now turns into a frenzy,
Daffodils in canary yellow,
Sends the senses into a dizzy.

Return

A carpet of flowers
I’d love to spread,
To welcome you back,
To the sweet homestead.

Not missing the hooray,
A complete band brigade,
To celebrate this day,
With pomp and parade.

Fighter, Survivor, Hero

An accidental fighter
A deliberate survivor,
Chance and destiny
Marched on along.
With determination,
And, mind set strong.
On sights of recovery,
Recovery to the full.
A proud family watches
The quest in elation.
Tears of joy wells
Greeted without restrain
A new birth, life afresh
A voyage to savor.

Sweet are the sounds

The sweet sound of words
Heard after a break,
Freely flowing without girds
What a day it did make.

Words of power and insight,
Words of life and success,
Words that had their bite,
Words that could aggress.

Language of love conveyed
Expressions of joy and fear,
Words that would be obeyed,
By all far and near.

Vocabulary rich in substance,
Conveyed through these sounds,
Lexis of a wide expanse,
Language of care surrounds.

The resonance of recovery,
Of sweet life, a gem.
A survivor was the discovery,
And that is how I'll remember them!


Prompt @ Carry on Tuesday

Infirm

The rawness in emotion,
Slips through in this place,
Vulnerability creeping in
Unnoticed at this space.

Baring one’s all, it seems,
Loved ones stand by,
Fear in mind, fated.
Optimism washing by.

Humbled beyond words,
Everyone are, in here.
A wait for the outcome,
Clinging to life, dear.

Transformation

Tantalizing is the descent of spring,
Eerie winter, stays on haunting,
Vivid multi-colors do accost,
The dainty white hues of frost.

Chatter incessant by the fowls,
From silence interspersed by windy howls.
Unreigned by joy nor set free,
The sleepy disposition used to be.

Fresh life spewing all around,
After cleansed and bared down,
Preview to summer, if you will.
And, the end of the frigid chill.

Raving rant

I have skipped many a meal,
And, missed events for you,
I have cut short family time
And given up travel too.

I put my dreams on hold,
As fulfilling yours, I felt,
Would be realizing mine.
And, was I more wrong?

I was available anytime,
Multi-tasking a lot, I lived,
Yours before mine, I set,
Now, to what avail, I wail.

Time to be cutthroat,
There is no more us, I yell.
I remind myself slowly,
After all, it is just a job!

Weary of the wariness

Obsolete, one tends to become,
To this paranoid institution.
Brutally phasing out, they
Treat people like specks of dirt.

The hush-hush within,
Several layers of doors,
Dare they let out their
Precious, so called secrets.

In essence, they live in
An utopian world of substance,
Where every fallout is
Nothing short of a cataclysm.

In mundane routines of
Arrogance, they persist on
Practically, antediluvian,
Extinction could befall soon.

Camaradarie for Contentment

Love life and life will love you back. Love people and they will love you back.


Faces to friends, they move,
Loving people I begin to,
And, me back they do love,
World begins to get manageable.

Love life as well, I must,
Its love back, I do seek,
Need some gusto and zest,
Existing'll no longer suffice.

Alterations, I am long overdue,
Dramatic, maybe, not so much,
Babysteps, of it quite a few,
Peace and happiness, I aspire.

Super showdown

A scrimmage, I will witness hereafter,
The hype before, stayed much after,
The goosebumps accompany the thrill,
Stereotypes many it does instill.

A pizza, a big screen TV a few,
Beer and soda in many forms are due.
Gruff looking men reduced to tears,
Commercials are fun, it appears.

Yearly tradition, in homes a many,
Wintry distraction, it provides a plenty.
Passions fly in words and actions,
Together and rooting in factions.

Music, an interlude for all,
Crowds in passion, begin to sprawl.
In the end, winner is just one,
So, ending the season of fun.

Vows and wows

Living the life, we are, of a wedding vow,
Through better and worse, we have been.
Through laughter and tears we show,
The love for each other, grows within.

In sickness and in health, we shared,
Cherish we did from the day forward,
To each other, our souls we bared,
For richer, for poorer we were aboard.

We have both been freed and bound,
And, have been none other than ourself.
Standing by each other, we found,
The love in our hearts, is reward itself.

Decadal

A decade, is it already?
Still going strong and steady,
Living the clichéd style,
End the day, with a smile.

Taken for granted at times,
Airing out each others’ grimes,
Forgiven and forgiving forever,
Held a grudge, we have never.

Another year added to the kitty,
To commemorate, a new ditty.
Together as one, onward.
Memories as we continue to hoard.

Titanic

She loved him for an eternity,
Invisible, she however, had been.
Safe she felt in his vicinity,
Women then weren’t heard, just seen.

Decades ago it was, she lost count,
A shy smiling bride, she recalled,
Waiting for her groom to dismount,
Her friends, at his sight, enthralled.

She had hovered in shadows, forever,
Fishing around for his compliments.
Of respect to her, there was endeavor,
Of love, existed sporadic elements.

A second wind, she hoped to catch,
Past their prime, when they’d be.
Hoping now was just a random patch,
After all, together they were meant to be.

For her, love was just a salve.
To have her socks blown off,
She didn’t ever look to have,
Just enough, so no one would scoff.

The subsistence shindig

Life is a carnival of sorts,
To comedy, it resorts,
A journey of its own, is life.
Some peace and a lot of strife.

Is there a purpose to this mess,
At times, amusing I must confess.
Pandemonium continues to ensue,
And, then turmoil begins to brew.

A street party, life is every day,
A cavalcade of joys to sorrows, sleigh.
From sorrows, slowly the joys stem,
And, that is how I remember them.

Heightened downer

An unexpected descent,
While awaiting progress,
Almost surrealistic
Aspirations killed off
In the blink of an eye.
All I am left with is
The ever relevant cliché
‘Life must go on’!

Outage outrage

With a power outage, we suffer,
Coping ways, among us differ,
Some like me write verse,
Others in here, plain curse.

A few overachievers as everywhere,
Catch up and try a show-off affair,
Work is standstill, by a breakdown,
Productivity for the day, unknown.

Automotives accidentally knock,
To the transformer, gave a sock,
People inside in tremendous shock,
All around crowds begin to flock.

A day in waste, to mourn of,
Solitude is anything to scoff,
Scrambling, others I seem
Puts life in perspective for me.

Buoyant bravado

Courage I need to take the plunge,
And the nerve to, the past, expunge.
Dare I rock the boat of familiarity?
Move on with an air of temerity?

Adversities, one after another, hit
My own worrying adds to the bit.
Getting through the days, one by one,
Motivation, to enjoy, there is none.

Fear for loved ones, tops the list,
Professional life too is in a mist,
Trying hard, in self pity to not wallow,
And, the greats, in spirit try to follow.

Come out of this, unscathed, I shall,
Prayers and faith, will break my fall.
Healthy and happy, shall be one and all,
Hardships blown away by a squall.

Tales of a basin

A bird bath waits forlorn,
Her friends get plenty attention,
Winters are hard on her,
Waiting, she is in isolation.

Come summer she'd perk,
Filled with nectar like,
Oh! What bliss in life!
When the heat does spike.

Now amid a wilted lawn,
by the side of a dry fountain,
she dreams of sunny days,
Of spring, she tries to feign.

Embarking on their flight,
toward south to warmth,
The birds seem to not care,
About this lonely basin bath!

Interchange

A conference room,
with temperatures freezing,
A stiff handshake,
And, then it began.

A flurry of questions,
Baring of inner souls,
The perpetual quandary
Always a baffling poser.

Do you tell the truth?
The modified truth?
The diguised truth?
or just plain lie?

Imminent in nature,
the necessity to speak up,
Befuddled I murmur,
Pulling myself together.

Giving them what they want
I simply sold my soul,
A flake, did I end up?
Isn't it after all, a job?

Now, on the other side,
I am an authority,
Not one to be deluded,
Unmasking them instantly.

To meet again,

A happy goodbye,
To a valued colleague,
Adventures will satisfy,
His zest for intrigue.

Not to taint the moment,
With sadness or regret,
Just an upward ascent,
Of deadlines, not to fret.

Look forward to the prospect,
Of plausible chances,
Crossing paths to connect,
As life slowly advances.

A willing participant,
He used to be in all,
With laughs, he can enchant,
And, in life have a ball.

Missed he shall be,
As he crosses the sea,
Welcomed he will be,
Back here, if he needs to be.

Snarled in success?

Tangled, I am in
A mesh of my own making.
Not even worth,
the moolah I am raking.

With a fine tooth comb,
I go through several listings,
Shake out of my inertia
Cutting off the apron strings.

A new year,
A new beginning awaited
Likely to be disappointed,
Can never be sated.

Supercilious Superior

Sucking a lollipop, he came,
Showing off, he had some game,
To mankind, he was a shame,
As he set out, to others, maim.

Buckling under arbitrary pressure,
Evading reality in large measure,
A wedge he created for his pleasure,
Becoming a mean people crusher.

From integrity to deviousness,
On power, beginning to obsess,
Losing along the way, his finesse,
Falling into abyss, beyond redress.

As we lament the adverse loss,
Of a first rate superior boss,
Things will never be the way it was,
Life, but, shall go on without a pause.

Blazing Blizzard

A snowflake, like none other,
Zillions together, our lives they hinder.
Nature in her purest form of fury,
We stand a chance, before it, nary.

Cars spun around like hot wheels minis,
Passengers amid travel, brought to their knees,
Flying machines of fleeting speed,
To nature’s rage, they all pay heed.

False sense of security from size,
SUVs, leviathans strewn around like dice.
Humbled with gratitude of life spared,
Shaken by how routines were impaired.

Colossal trees snapping like twigs,
In heavy winds, all doing jigs,
Not a soul escaped its wrath,
Shuddering to think of its aftermath.


(Sunday Scribblings)

Pause ahead!

Putting in perspective,
My disappointing thoughts,
I count my blessings
And pray for the have-nots.

This year tested me so,
Me and my dear ones,
I’d dare not lean to look
And I pray for no reruns.

In utter humility I seek,
Something to look ahead to
Will I get to dabble in
Life and its gifts anew?

A let down, feeling cheated,
I always knew life was unfair,
I wish I could be more heated,
I need to blow off some air.

Years I gave for this one,
Like a scrap, I get dropped
Rhyme and reason, there's none
Okay! I know I didn't get chopped.

I do well, not just well, great
I pour blood and sweat into,
This hurt, won't soon abate,
A lot of pain, this will stew.

Feeling like the world's end.
Trying to shake it out,
With a reminder to contend,
A vocation, ultimately to flout.

Hoping at the end of it, some gain!
Borne throughout for years,
Toiling away to point of pain,
Shed many a load of tears.

Reverie or reality

In my own world, a baby I yearn
In my mind, I make a great parent
In my dreams, I see her tiny face
In suspended reality, I dream on!

Will I ever follow through? I wonder
The reality scares me, beyond words
With the dinky life we lead, I pause
Hesitating to rock the boat.

Life moves on, barely I find at times
What do I seek, I ponder, failing to find
Drama, is it? That comes with kids?
A mom, a long shot? I beg to differ!

Attired

I dressed up for Diwali
She, for Halloween
In my finery, I stepped out
She called it a costume!
When will I not skip a beat
And use them together?
When will I blend the there
With the here, if I ever will?
A mishmash of cultures I call
But is it really so?
Some stand out, while others
Amalgamate easy!

This day in mind

A day I spent like any other,
Talking to my sister across miles,
I was beginning my day, when
She was in shutting down mode.

Reliving childhood, she mentioned.
An idea so delightful, I clutched on,
Just that little thought sowed,
Some seeds of happy in me.

Like so many of the others, ours
Too was a normal, uneventful life.
Growing up was hard, but
Had its share of memorable.

Now looking back, filtering.
What surfaces, what plays in mind
Makes us all who we are, though
maybe not who we want to be.

Setting foot firmly in the present,
Letting go of past, though hard.
We march together into the future.
Allies, we shall be for life!

Titular

Listening to the confession
That came pouring out,
From the American assassin,
The undercover detective,
Entrusted with the side jobs,
Wondered to himself,
‘was it worth dying for?’
Like the girl who kicked
The hornet’s nest, he felt
Not able to turn away,
Neither able to stay on
In the company of others,
He assumed will be safe haven
To Freedom and from there
The reversal of fortunes.
The fall of giants, the aftermath
Of which he didn’t stay to see!

Big Tent Poetry